Sabalan ( Persian: سبلان) or Savalan ( native: ساوالان ) is an inactive

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

in northwestern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

located in Ardabil province. At above sea level, it is the third-highest mountain in Iran. A permanent crater lake has formed at its summit. On one of its slopes around there are large rock formations of eroded volcanic outcrops that resemble animals, birds, and insects.

Mount Sabalan

Located in the extreme northwest of Iran, Savalan is the country's third-highest peak after Damavand and Alam-Kuh. It is also slightly higher than

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. The mountain offers many attractions throughout the year. On the slopes of the mountain, the

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

from springs attracts large numbers of tourists each year, many of whom have faith in healing properties attributed to the springs. The nomadic people of the area live in small villages, with their round "Yurt" tents appealing to tourists. Savalan has a ski resort (Alvares) and different tourist areas such as the Sarein spa. The mountain is known for its beautiful vistas, including the Shirvan gorge, where few climbers venture.

Geology

Sabalan is a large

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomina ...

stratovolcano in Meshgin Shahr, in Ardabil province in Iran. It is the second-highest volcano after Mount Damavand. The volcano is quite old. Its first eruptions occurred in the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

and later in the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

. But the main volcanism happened in the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

as some of its rocks have been dated to 5–1.4 million years. Some references state that volcanic activity continued into the

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

, less than 10,000 years ago. The summit region has several peaks exceeding , primarily along a southwest–northeast trending ridge. The highest point is at the northeast end of the ridge and is separated from the + group of southwestern summits by a col. The mountain is located in a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

with hot, dry summers and extremely cold, snowy winters. Precipitation falls primarily as

snow Snow consists of individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water througho ...

in late autumn, winter, and spring, and is sufficient to sustain seven

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s near the summit above . The largest of these were more than in length as of the 1970s. There are also extensive rock glaciers, several of which are more than in length.

Climbing

The climbing surface includes rocks of various size (Class 2

scrambling Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. It can be described as being between hiking and climbing, rock climbing. "A scramble" is a relat ...

), and a moderate degree of fitness is required to climb it. The climb from the base camp starts easy, becomes challenging midway, then eases in gradient near the top. The lake on the top remains frozen except for about four weeks in late July to early August. Some climbers start by driving to

hot springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

of Meshgin Shahr, where they start their climb. This climb takes about two days, reaching the base camp on the first day. Others take a taxi to base camp early in the morning and climb the mountain in one day. In 2006, there was talk of improving the road to the base camp. If this is done, a regular car should be able to make it to the base camp during the climbing season. The road goes through multiple nomadic encampments of shepherds. One or two days of

acclimatization Acclimatization or acclimatisation ( also called acclimation or acclimatation) is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment (such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH), ...

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

or Ardabil may be advisable.

Mountaineering Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

has been popular among the youth in Iran. On a Friday during the

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

season (late June to mid-August), one may find hundreds of people on the mountain. Guides can also be found in Ardabil. Adequate climbing equipment can be purchased in Ardabil or Tehran.

Surrounding area

The area around Sabalan, particularly near Meshkin, sarab city and ardabil city, produces large quantities of grain, including wheat. Due to the microclimate produced by the mountain, Ardabil remains pleasantly cool in the summers. There are numerous hot springs around the slopes of Sabalan, with the main concentration within Sareyn County. There are skiing slopes, with snow even in near-summer. A

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

named "Alvares" is within an hour's drive from Sareyn on the south ridge of Sabalan. Sabalan and Alvares Ski Piste

Gallery

File:Arshoq Castle and Sabalan.jpg, Arshoq Castle in Meshgin Shahr in foreground, Sabalan in background File:Sab sklo.JPG, Shelter on Sabalan at 3,600 m File:Sabalan01.JPG, Crater lake of Sabalan File:Sabalan1.JPG, Sabalan landscape at 4,100 m File:960512-Sabalan-IMG 7088-3-2.jpg,

Igneous rock Igneous rock ( ), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. The magma can be derived from partial ...

, Mr. Sabalan,

References

* *
Peaklist.org: Iran Mountain Ultra-Prominence

Sources

External links

Story of a climb to Mount Sabalan

Hamed Tohidi's Blog about Mount Sabalan
{{Ranges of Iranian Plateau Mountains of Iran Mountaineering in Iran Alborz (mountain range) Landforms of Ardabil province Stratovolcanoes of Iran Volcanic crater lakes Four-thousanders of the Alborz Mountains of Ardabil Province Miocene stratovolcanoes Pliocene stratovolcanoes Pleistocene stratovolcanoes